Rack for cooking bacon and the like

ABSTRACT

A cooking rack for bacon, or other food products, includes several articulated planar members defining a series of connected V-shaped structures. Each planar member, which may be defined by a plurality of generally parallel wires or other members, is generally porous. Bacon strips are placed on the planar members, and the rack is placed in a cooking vessel. The porosity of the planar members allows air to flow around the bacon during cooking, and allows liquids to fall from the bacon into a vessel below. The V-shaped structures may include spacers which prevent adjacent strips of bacon from touching each other.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/953,061, filedJul. 29, 2013.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the cooking of bacon and other foods,and provides a rack which optimizes the cooking process.

Conventional baking sheets are flat and solid structures which lieparallel to the floor. Such sheets do not allow substantial air flowaround the entire food product, and also do not provide for drainage ofliquid from the food being cooked. They also do not enable liquid fromthe food product to drip over the food product. A flat and non-porousstructure would allow liquid to drain from the food, but would not allowair to flow around the food product.

Bacon and other relatively thin food products may curl when cooked, andmay lift off the cooking surface. Conventional baking sheets and racksalso do not address this problem. The parts of the food in contact withthe surface tend to overcook, and the parts which have curled away fromthe surface tend to undercook. The result is uneven cooking.

The present invention solves the above-described problems, by providinga cooking rack which effectively acts as a rotisserie, but which has nomoving parts. The cooking rack of the present invention thereforecomprises a cost-effective and simple means for cooking bacon and otherfoods. The cooking rack of the present invention is easy to clean, andprovides a means for cooking such that the food is not greasy, but iscrisp and consistently and evenly cooked. The rack of the presentinvention can also be scaled, such as by providing the rack in multiplelayers, so that relatively large quantities of food can be cooked atonce.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a rack for cooking foods, especiallyfoods formed in thin strips such as bacon. The rack of the inventionincludes a plurality of generally porous, planar members, the planarmembers being connected to each other, preferably along their edges.Each planar member is oblique relative to an adjacent planar member.Thus, the rack comprises a structure which defines a plurality ofconnected and congruent V-shaped structures. Dowels are positioned alongthe planar members, and preferably along one or more of the edges of theplanar members, to provide rigidity to the rack. In one embodiment,there may be a dowel along every edge of every planar member, but asmaller number of dowels may be used.

In another preferred embodiment, each V-shaped structure includes aW-shaped structure located at the bottom of the “V”. The W-shapedstructure defines a spacer or step which prevent strips of bacon, orother food products, lying on adjacent surfaces of the “V”, fromtouching each other.

The planar members are defined, in one preferred embodiment, by aplurality of stiff, generally parallel support wires. Structures otherthan wires can be used. The planar members may be formed of a mesh orlattice, or a perforated sheet. A plane defined by a set of wires isconsidered porous, insofar as there are ample spaces between the wiresfor flow of air and liquids.

The rack of the invention can be arranged in a stack of similar racks,each layer of the rack being spaced apart from an adjacent layer by atleast one strut. The struts can have feet which rest on an apex of anadjacent layer. The use of a stack allows the cooking of a relativelylarge amount of food at once. The stack is also convenient for purposesof storage.

The present invention therefore has the primary object of providing arack for cooking bacon and other food products.

The invention has the further object of improving the cooking of baconand other foods, by providing a cooking device which promotes the flowof air around the food product, and by providing means for drainingliquids from the food product during cooking.

The invention has the further object of providing a cooking rack whichhas the advantages of a rotisserie, but which has no moving parts.

The invention has the further object of providing a cooking rack whichcan be conveniently stacked with other such racks, either during cookingor for storage.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentto the reader skilled in the art, from a reading of the following briefdescription of the drawings, the detailed description of the invention,and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 provides a perspective view of a bacon rack, made according tothe present invention, showing a piece of bacon thereon.

FIG. 2 provides a side view of the bacon rack of the present invention,showing the V-shaped nature of the rack.

FIG. 3 provides a side view of an alternative embodiment of the baconrack of the present invention, in which the rack does not have dowelsalong the bottom portions of the V's.

FIG. 4 provides a side view of another embodiment of the bacon rack ofthe present invention, wherein the rack defines a sawtooth pattern.

FIG. 5 provides a side view showing the stacking of multiple racks madeaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 6 provides a cross-sectional view of a bacon rack of the presentinvention, the rack being disposed within a cooking vessel.

FIG. 7 provides a perspective view of another embodiment of the baconrack of the present invention, in which dowels are positioned atlocations other than the edges of the planar members.

FIG. 8 provides a side view of another embodiment of the presentinvention, in which a plurality of racks are arranged in a stack, tocook food arranged on each element of the stack.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 provides a perspective view illustrating a first embodiment ofthe present invention. The invention comprises rack 1 which holds apiece of bacon 2. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the rack is defined by aplurality of stiff, spaced-apart support wires 3, the support wiresbeing generally parallel to each other. The support wires are angled ina periodic manner, such that the support wires together define aplurality of support planes, each of which is oblique, i.e.non-parallel, relative to adjacent support planes.

Thus, in FIG. 1, support wires 3 define an effective support plane Aupon which the piece of bacon 2 rests. The support wires define aneffective support plane B, which is oblique relative to support plane A.The angling of the support wires 3 defines the plurality of supportplanes illustrated in the figure. Thus, the rack comprises a pluralityof articulated planar members.

Each planar member shares an edge with an adjacent planar member. Also,each planar member is oblique to an adjacent planar member, and isoblique to the bottom of a cooking vessel (such as the vessel 60 of FIG.6).

The support wires are intended to be generally perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the strip of bacon, or other food product. Thisrelationship is clearly evident in FIG. 1.

In one preferred embodiment, the support wires 3 are thin, stiff metalwires. The spaces between the wires comprise openings through which airand liquid can freely pass. It is desirable to minimize the amount ofcontact between the support wires and the food product, so as tomaximize the air flow around, and to permit liquid to drip from, thefood product. This goal is accomplished with the use of relatively thinwires or similar structures having ample openings or pores between them.The thickness of the wires is somewhat exaggerated in FIG. 1, forpurposes of illustration.

The support wires 3 of FIG. 1 are anchored by a plurality of dowels 5.Each dowel is positioned along an edge of a planar member, and isconnected, such as by welding or other means, to the wires or otherstructures defining the planar member. In the preferred embodiment, thesupport wires are rigidly formed into the shape shown in FIG. 1, and therack is effectively a unitary piece which always retains the same shape.However, in an alternative arrangement, the dowels could comprisepivotable mounting devices, allowing each planar member to rotate aroundthe dowel. In such an alternative arrangement, the assembly of supportwires could be collapsed or folded into a compact structure.

The bacon rack of the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 1, hasthe following important features:

First, each support plane is slanted relative to the bottom of a cookingvessel. That is, each support plane is oblique to the ground, andoblique to the bottom of a cooking vessel.

Secondly, each support plane defines a permeable structure. The planarmembers are sufficiently porous to allow air to flow freely around thebacon, and to allow liquid from the bacon to flow through such planesand to reach the bottom of the cooking vessel.

Thirdly, the bacon rack is periodic. The rack comprises a plurality ofsupport planes, each being non-parallel to the adjacent support plane.Each pair of support planes is a V-shaped structure, and this V-shapedstructure is repeated through the extent of the rack.

In particular, when viewed from the side, as shown for example in FIG.2, the rack of the present invention has the shape of a plurality ofconnected “V”s. Each strip of bacon or other food material thereforelies on one half of a “V”. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, wherethere are four “V”s, there are eight support planes upon which strips ofbacon can be placed.

In the preferred embodiment, each V-shaped structure has the same size.More precisely, in the preferred embodiment, the V-shaped structures arecongruent, in that both the size and the angles of the arms of the “V”are substantially the same from one “V” to the next.

As stated above, the purpose of the dowels 5 is to provide structuralstrength to the bacon rack. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, there isa dowel at every edge of each planar member. But in the embodiment ofFIG. 3, there are dowels only along edges comprising the top portions ofthe “V” structure.

It should therefore be appreciated that not all of the dowels shown inFIG. 1 are absolutely necessary. It is possible to eliminate the“bottom” dowels, i.e. those dowels which are located below the level ofthe bacon, or the “top” dowels, i.e. those dowels which are locatedabove the level of the bacon. In another alternative, one couldeliminate some but not all of the top dowels, and some but not all ofthe bottom dowels. It is even possible to provide the entire structurewith as few as one or two dowels, which would still hold the assembly ofsupport wires together. The use of additional dowels provides additionalstructural rigidity. All of these alternatives should be consideredwithin the scope of the invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 provide end views illustrating further features of theinvention. FIG. 2 shows the embodiment wherein the bottom portions ofthe Vs, i.e. those portions of the support wires 3 which are intended torest on a cooking surface (not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3), are formed intothe shape of a “W”, illustrated by reference numeral 10.

The W-shaped structure therefore defines spacers or steps for adjacentplanar members. The step or spacer defined by the W-shaped structureinsures that strips of bacon or other foods, placed on adjacent planarmembers (i.e. adjacent sections of a “V”) do not directly contact eachother.

Thus, in FIG. 2, adjacent pieces of bacon, such as pieces 11 and 12, donot touch each other. If the pieces of bacon were allowed to touch, theresult would be less than optimal drainage of liquid from each piece offood. The “W” structure is sized such that the middle portion of the“W”, which comprises the step or spacer, is large enough to fulfill itsfunction as a spacer.

Note also that the embodiment of FIG. 2 includes dowels, but that thepresence or absence of the dowels is not necessarily related to whetherthe adjacent pieces of bacon can touch. That is, the “W” structure ofthe support wires is preferably sufficient to prevent contact ofadjacent pieces of bacon, regardless of whether a dowel is present nearthe “W”.

FIG. 3 illustrates the embodiment wherein there are no dowels at thebottom of the Vs, i.e. at the locations intended to rest on the bottomof a cooking vessel. But the embodiment of FIG. 3 includes dowels at thetops of the Vs, i.e. at positions above the bacon, such as dowels 15. Inthe embodiment of FIG. 3, the ends of adjacent pieces of bacon areallowed to touch, as illustrated by bacon pieces 17 and 18.

FIG. 4 illustrates, through a simplified end view, another embodiment,wherein the support wires define a sawtooth pattern. In this embodiment,every other support plane, such as support planes 41,43, and 45, isoriented at a relatively small angle relative to the bottom of thecooking vessel (not shown), while the remaining support planes, such asplanes 47 and 49, are oriented at steeper angles. Thus, the embodimentof FIG. 4 comprises support planes which are alternately relativelyshallow and relatively steep. In this embodiment, there would normallybe only one piece of bacon held within a single “V”.

FIG. 5 illustrates the stacking of multiple bacon racks according to thepresent invention. As explained above, in the preferred embodiment, therack is rigid, and does not fold into a smaller space. However, suchrigid racks may be stacked as shown in FIG. 5, thereby minimizingstorage space.

FIG. 6 illustrates a bacon rack of the present invention, of the typeshown in FIG. 3, inserted into a cooking vessel 60. It is understoodthat any embodiment of the bacon rack of the present invention can beplaced within the cooking vessel. FIG. 6 shows a plurality of pieces ofbacon 61, as well as a pool 63 of liquid which has flowed from the baconand which has accumulated at the bottom 62 of the vessel.

In FIG. 6, the walls of the vessel are shown to be taller than the baconrack. This feature can be modified. The walls of the vessel couldinstead be shorter than, or equal to, the height of the rack. Ingeneral, vessel walls which are shorter may enhance the benefit of airflow around the food product. All of the above alternatives should beconsidered within the scope of the invention.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of thepresent invention. In this embodiment, the rack is formed, as before, ofa plurality of stiff wires 71 which have been bent into the desiredconfiguration as shown. But the dowels, such as dowel 73, are notlocated at the edges, but instead are positioned elsewhere. Dowels 73are positioned obliquely along support surfaces defined by the wires,the dowels being affixed to the wires by welding or equivalent means.Dowels 75 are positioned along the middle of the support surfaces, butare orthogonal relative to the wires. It should be understood thatdowels can be provided as shown in FIG. 1, or as shown in FIG. 7, or inany combination of configurations. All such variations should beconsidered within the scope of the invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates the stacking of multiple layers of the rack of thepresent invention, for purposes of cooking greater amounts of food.Racks 81 and 83 are similar to the racks shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Theracks are spaced apart by struts 85, so that food products 89 can beplaced on both racks. The struts terminate in feet 87 which engage therack below. The feet can simply rest on the rack, so that they arereadily removable, or they could be permanently or temporarily affixedto the other rack. Other arrangements for holding the racks in aspaced-apart condition could be used. Additional layers could be addedin a similar manner.

The bacon rack of the present invention can be formed by means otherthan the generally parallel support wires 3. For example, instead ofparallel wires or metal bars or other support structures, one couldprovide a mesh or lattice structure, or a perforated sheet, which wouldstill have the effect of allowing sufficient air flow around all sidesof the food product and of allowing liquid to drain from the foodproduct. One could provide a support structure which is only partlyporous, i.e. a structure which is porous over only part of its area.Such a structure would not be optimal, but could be used ifcircumstances warrant.

Food products such as bacon may curl or otherwise lift off the cookingsurface during the cooking process. To overcome this problem, one canuse a structure similar to that of FIG. 8, except that the layers wouldbe positioned more closely together. That is, the racks are spaced apartfrom each other, but sufficiently close to prevent a strip of bacon, orother food product, from curling during the cooking process.Notwithstanding the fact that the piece of bacon is surrounded bysupport planes of the adjacent racks, located above and below the bacon,the strip of bacon will still be fully exposed to air during the cookingprocess, because of the porous nature of the support planes in theracks. Conventional ovens and toaster ovens generally have enough insidespace to accommodate at least two spaced-apart racks.

The present invention is not limited to cooking bacon. It may be usedfor cooking other meat products, or for cooking any other food which isrelatively thin and which can fit the space provided on the varioussloped support planes.

The rack of the present invention therefore effectively comprises astationary rotisserie. That is, the rack has the advantages of arotisserie, in that air can flow to substantially all portions of thefood product, and liquid can drain freely from the food product, but therack has no moving parts. Moreover, in some cases, the food may becomecoated or bathed by liquid draining from other parts of the food. In atleast some embodiments of the invention, the air can flow around allsides of the food product, and liquid can drain from all sides of thefood product. The invention therefore substantially improves the cookingprocess, with a device of relatively small cost.

The rack of the present invention can be provided in various sizes,appropriate to different cooking devices. For example, the rack may besized to fit within a standard cookie sheet, or it may be sized to fitwithin a toaster oven. The number of V's and/or W's provided in suchracks may be varied, so as to accommodate the need to support the foodproduct being cooked, and to accommodate the space available in thecooking device. But, in general, because the size of the food productwill likely not vary, the size of the V's would likely need to be aboutthe same, regardless of the cooking vessel. Thus, the major variable, indesigning a rack to fit different cooking devices, is the number of V'sin the rack.

The bacon rack of the present invention can be made of any materialwhich will withstand normal cooking temperatures. But it preferablyshould also be made of a material which can safely be washed in anautomatic dishwasher. It is also preferable to limit the number ofwelds, corners, and crevices in the rack, so as to prevent foodparticles from adhering to the rack, and to make the rack easier toclean.

The bacon rack of the present invention could be made of members formedof a non-stick material, or could be coated with a non-stick material.

One of the benefits of the bacon rack of the present invention is thatthe food product is not sitting in the liquid which has drained from thefood product during cooking. To insure that the food product remains outof contact with the drained liquid, it may be preferable to provideadditional feet (not shown) on the rack, or on the bottom layer of astack of racks, so as to further elevate the rack from its supportsurface, such as that of vessel 60 of FIG. 6.

In another embodiment, the rack could be constructed such that itssections are foldable and/or collapsible. For example, the V-sections ofFIG. 1 could pivot around axes defined by the dowels, and the entirestructure could be folded on itself. Thus, one could provide a rackwhich is not only stackable but also laterally expandable. There couldalso be separable and/or joinable sets of Vs.

In another embodiment, one could provide a flat structure at the tops ofthe Vs, the flat structure being generally parallel to the bottom of thecooking vessel. This arrangement is not optimal, because the flatstructure negates the benefit of the sloped planar members, but it maybe useful in some applications.

The invention can be modified in further ways, which will be apparent tothose skilled in the art. For example, the number of Vs provided in arack can be varied to suit particular needs. The angles made by theplanar surfaces, relative to the bottom of a cooking vessel, may also bevaried. These and other such modifications should be considered to bewithin the spirit and scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A rack for cooking foods, comprising a pluralityof generally planar members, at least some of the planar members beingporous, the planar members being connected to each other such that eachplanar member shares an edge with an adjacent planar member, each planarmember being oblique relative to an adjacent planar member, furthercomprising at least one dowel connected along an edge of at least oneplanar member, wherein the planar members are arranged to define asawtooth pattern.